Daniel Ricciardo says it was a case of either hitting Oscar Piastri or the wall in the FP2 incident that resulted in him being ruled out of the Dutch Grand Prix with a broken hand.
AlphaTauri confirmed the news on Friday evening, with Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson selected to fill Ricciardo’s shoes for the remainder of the weekend at Zandvoort.
The incident occurred when Ricciardo was forced to avoid Oscar Piastri’s McLaren after the rookie found the outside barriers at Turn 3.
After a trip to the medical centre, Ricciardo was taken to a local hospital for further examination. X-rays confirmed a break to a metacarpal on the driver’s left hand.
Reflecting on Friday’s events, Ricciardo stated: “I was very excited to be back after the break. The day was going pretty well.
“We made some changes for FP2 and the few laps I did on the hard tyre before the crash felt good; we were building up and improving. At that time, we were pretty competitive, and I was feeling positive.
“I remember coming into Turn 3. I had already gotten into the corner and then saw Piastri, so it was either hit him or the wall.
“When I hit the wall, I didn’t have enough time to take my hands off the steering wheel, so the wheel came and hit my hand. It’s really unfortunate and frustrating, but I’ll try to recover as quickly as I can.
While Ricciardo is determined to be back as soon as possible, the eight-time F1 race winner is focused on a “strong and competitive” return to Formula 1
“I’d love to get back soon, but I also want to ensure we do things the right way, so I come back strong and competitive. I wish the team well, and I’m sorry for the change in plans again. It’s a chance for Liam to have a go, and I wish him and the team a strong weekend.”
While Lawson has made several FP1 appearances with both Red Bull and AlphaTauri, FP3 will be the New Zealander’s first running in 2023’s F1 machinery before being thrust into competitive running later on Saturday.
Lawson had been overlooked in favour of Ricciardo following the dismissal of Nyck de Vries after a 10-race stint at AlphaTauri. Instead, Lawson has been pursuing the Super Formula title in Japan, where he sits second in the standings.
Chief Race Engineer Jonathan Eddolls voiced AlphaTauri’s support of Lawson in a press release issued by the team.
“With Daniel recovering, we welcome Liam back to the team to drive his car, but this time in a much more competitive situation,” he said.
“It has all happened very quickly, but Liam has shown he is more than ready to step up to the challenge, and he has the whole team behind him.”
While no timeframe has been placed on Ricciardo’s recovery, Team Principal Franz Tost is hoping the Australian’s existing fitness levels will only serve to speed up the process.
“Maybe he needs surgery. The doctors will decide in the next few days. For a normal person, there are usually six weeks for recovery, but he is a Formula 1 driver, so hopefully the process will be shorter for him,” Tost told Viaplay.
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